TRIP #5, 2014--Indian Summer

Indian Summer Autumn


Scaling the rock ledges below Pemaquid Light gives us
incredible views and a different perspective.

When we stepped out of the motel at 8 a.m. this morning after breakfast in the room, it was already warm enough for just shirt sleeves.  By 9 a.m. the bank in Rockport said 69 degrees.  But all the trees lining Mechanics Drive were brilliant yellow.  The warm won't last too much longer, but today we'll hit the 80's inland, according to predictions.

Barnacle encrusted rocks on the seashore mark the high tide.

As the tide comes in, the waves
crash higher and higher on the ledge.

Pemaquid Light, built in 1827, is the most photographed lighthouse in Maine.  I'm not sure how they calculate that one!  We parked in the main lot by the gift shop and took the steps to the rock ledges below.  I guess that wouldn't be possible at high tide, but we lucked out.  On the knoll next to the lighthouse, white chairs were set up for a noon wedding overlooking the ocean.  Part of that parking lot was blocked off, but even tourists walking in that parking lot gate were being charged the $2.00 per person fee.  We wound our way down the slanted granite cliff face a second time for different shots of the lighthouse.
Seagulls soared and swooped just above us, and cormorants rested right on the edge of the breaking waves.  The tide was coming in, and every couple waves sent spray high in the air as they met the shore.  You couldn't ask for a more glorious day.

Pemaquid Light is the most photographed lighthouse in Maine.

Heading inland, we encountered a detour on Route #32. It meant retracing our path and finding back roads north.  That wasn't a problem. We had lots of time, a gorgeous day and more autumn colors as we headed away from the water.

Everywhere along the road wild
flowers bloom and trees change color.

Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery was a lovely break.  High on a hillside, the tiny knotty-pine tasting room provided the colors and flavors of autumn.

Savage Oakes Vineyard and Winery decorates for fall.

"We've had a bountiful year," said the owner.  "The grapes love the sun, but we need cool temperatures now in order to harvest.  Otherwise we have problems with the bees."
I understand precisely why people plan trips to New England at this time of year.  The colors are beyond description, and the leaves turn so very quickly.  Color only lasts a week or two, and peak starts inland and spreads south.
Already the top third of Maine has peaked.  But I also understand why motels and restaurants are so pricey in this part of the world at this time of year.  Their season is exceedingly limited, and winters are brutal.  It's... make as much as you can as fast as you can.

Even in Augusta at the State Capitol,
the flowers flourish and trees put on a show of color.

Hence, Sweetgrass Winery had lots of visitors. Most of them sampled the spirits; we were happy with tastings of five wines and "smashes," blends  of wine and brandy--all deliciously fruity.  The view from outside the tasting room was a gorgeous blend of yellow, orange, red and green.  The group behind us asked about the owners.  "Oh yes," said our server. "They still have all the animals: rabbits and chickens and ducks and peacocks."  We only saw the barnyard/winery cat.
Then it was back on the road toward Augusta.
As the state capitol, Augusta pops up out of countryside.  Even within the city limits, rolling hills, wooded slopes and broad fields with small frame houses spread before us.  And suddenly, we were downtown.  It was 87 degrees, not a cloud in the sky with bright sunshine.
We went back and forth across the Kennebec River a couple times before getting our bearings.  But no matter!  There were round-abouts at either end of the bridge.
The Maine State House was getting a new, shiny copper dome. "You know what they used in Connecticut?" said Andy. "Gold leaf. It's paper thin, like tissue, and each square had to be glued on separately."
"Yes," I answered, "and you know who paid for it!"
We walked the whole block around the State House and leisurely strolled past the Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and the Firemen's Memorial.

Even though Fort Western is closed at 4:30 p.m.,
we have a sense of what it was like to live inside on the frontier.

On the other side of the Kennebec River was Downtown Augusta, with beautiful old three- and four-story brick and stone buildings. Some looked abandoned or in serious decline. Nearby was old Fort Western, built in 1754, the place Benedict Arnold started his campaign south to New Haven.  He used the Fort as a staging point for his assault on Quebec during the American Revolution.  At 4:30 p.m. the employees were just leaving. We couldn't go in, but we walked around the outside log barrier used for protection so many years ago.  Maybe we can see the inside tomorrow.  We've been promised another even warmer Indian Summer day.